The amount of video accessed online, particularly by mobile devices, is expanding exponentially. As a result, there is a need to maximise the monetisation opportunities by delivering ads across multiple devices and platforms in the most efficient way possible. In this post I discuss why applying SSAI across all content is the most logical way forward.

Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI, or dynamic ad insertion) can deliver a consistent experience akin to TV while opening up addressable advertising opportunities. Consistency comes in part from the ‘ad copy normalisation’ which is the process of transcoding ad content with the same bitrates, frame rates and audio levels as the underlying stream, ensuring a smooth transition between programme and ad and vice versa (with the same CDN being loaded for both content and ads).

SSAI technology is already being used successfully by broadcasters for live streaming. However, the principal monetisation technique for VoD remains Client-Side Ad Insertion (CSAI), where, at the start of every ad break, the primary player is stopped and an ad player put on top, with the primary player having to be resumed at the end of the break.

For a broadcaster with both Live and VoD, it makes sense for a single advertising workflow to be applied across all content.

It is possible for broadcasters to deliver a near-seamless experience using the CSAI model for VoD, by pre-loading the ad player and buffer in the background and swapping the players over at the exact moments when an ad break starts and ends. However, there is always the risk of playback issues caused by inconsistent encoding of the ad copy. Also, considerable effort is required in terms of implementation, with code having to be continuously duplicated from one device type to another, and from one environment to another, with the inevitable testing and maintenance overhead to achieve this result consistently across devices.

Many of those broadcasters of VoD streams who have a working CSAI solution in place are finding it increasingly hard to maintain, so we’re seeing a growing interest in the SSAI approach. This is partly driven by positive experiences of SSAI for live (where CSAI is not an option owing to the strict requirements around ad break timings). But there are a number of other reasons why SSAI should appeal to broadcasters over CSAI:

Implementation. The code is decoupled from the ad server, with the work on stitching and interfacing to the ad server being performed by the backend SSAI platform, giving an overall flexibility in that the inventory and decisioning engine is abstracted from the actual delivery. SDKs have also been developed, which means that there is effectively a middleware layer, with the SDKs talking to the backend, and the backend talking to the ad server, making it possible to swap out the ad server without changes to the SDKs.

Control. There can be a single point for all ad insertion calls across Live and VoD, a single interface providing access to a single set of Broadcast Streams, Promotions and VoD assets, and a single API providing real-time analytics.

Interactivity.The aforementioned SDKs can support the use of clickable linear content and dynamic overlays, and also allow broadcasters to customise the instances when skipping, seeking and pausing are allowed.

Ad blockers.The stitching used by SSAI mean that ad blockers are unable to decipher where the call to the server is being made, and so cannot differentiate between an ad and the content itself, making SSAI highly resistant to ad blocking.

Besides being able to deliver SSAI at scale and to provide all of the existing benefits of configurable user interactivity, SSAI has enormous security benefits, which cannot be totally covered in this article. In brief:

With SSAI, the aforementioned middleware layer affords control over the systems with which viewers are interacting. By contrast, with CSAI, the viewer’s device is touching the ad server and presenting its IP address (and potentially other information). The first party ad server might, in turn, involve the use of multiple third party servers and expose the same viewers to being tracked by unknown companies, to the possible detriment of a broadcaster’s commercial model.

With the correct deployment, there is no logical reason why broadcasters should not consider SSAI when deploying VoD streams. As OTT audiences for Live and VoD continue to thrive, providers are increasingly likely to seek a joined-up SSAI strategy, and by so doing, not only safeguard their current ad revenues, but also enhance them.

I never cease to be amazed at how quickly the world of ad-tech evolves and this is especially apparent if I look back over Yospace’s experience at the last few NAB Shows.

What was striking this year was just how few meetings I was in that required a demo. This is a big change to a couple of years ago and I put this down to the fact that server-side ad insertion has become a well understood technology. In its basic form anyway.

It’s also nice from a Yospace perspective that nobody questions whether it works anymore. A fast-growing customer list helps with that, for sure, but also features such as ad copy normalisation and frame-accuracy come as standard nowadays and people just trust that they work.

Much more common than a demo is the use of a pen and pad to draw out customer-specific workflow diagrams, and it’s in these types of conversations that things get really interesting.

Like many modern tech providers, Yospace’s product map is largely defined by what a customer needs it to be. The tech and the teams that develop it are agile enough to work in this way and we always have an innovative project on the go that pushes the boundaries of what SSAI can be as a result.

We’ve also been able to lead the way in delivering programmatic at scale for live, a process that can become incredibly complex as you scale to millions of simultaneous viewers who all go to ad breaks at the same time.

We developed our prefetch technology to address this use-case in response to the requirements of a leading sports broadcaster. I’m very pleased that today Yospace’s robustness in this area is recognised by so many (you can read more on prefetch in our Go Live white paper).

Achieving scale was the biggest topic we were asked about this year. Others that cropped up a lot included:

Total Video, or the idea of using consistent advertising methods and measurement tools across all content

Prebidding, which is an add-on to prefetch and provides a “look ahead” function for programmatic to ensure the highest value is earned for your inventory

These are areas that I anticipate will continue to be high on people’s agendas at IBC in five months’ time. We’ll have a stand in Hall 14 and it will be great to catch up. And of course, if you’d like to discuss any of the above in the meantime then you can contact us here.

Day one, tick. The show got off to a great start and we’ve had some really good discussions on scaling SSAI and maximising the potential of programmatic for live streams. It’s a far cry from just a few years ago when most meetings would start with: “so what is server-side ad insertion??”

It’s pleasing now that most people we meet already know the answer to this question and are keen to get into the details of the technology. We’re finding that discussions around consistency of viewer experience, measurement and data security are becoming more and more popular.

Harnessing the power of SSAI for VoD is our focus for day two at NAB. Over the past year, we’ve seen a considerable increase in operators and MVPDs implementing SSAI for VoD to deliver viewing experience consistency throughout their device platforms.

Why is there a move towards Server-Side Ad Insertion for VoD?

In this article for TV Technology, Yospace’s Founder & CTO David Springall discusses why SSAI technology, which has been a staple of live monetisation for a number of years, is also proving to be a popular way of monetising VoD due to factors such as viewer experience, ease of maintenance and data security.

Data security is an especially important topic. As operators and MVPDs increasingly rely on their first-party data to maximize ad revenues, having an effective middleware layer (SSAI) between the client and the ad server is crucial in protecting user data and preventing them from being re-targeted.

Total Video for TV4 pays dividends

Swedish innovator TV4 is an example of a broadcaster that’s making the most of a joined up live and VoD monetization strategy. The broadcaster has recently agreed an extension with us to provide server-side ad insertion (SSAI) across its TV Everywhere service, TV4Play.

Mathias Berg, COO at TV4 Group said: “For the last couple of years TV4 has relentlessly been driving our business from a traditional linear ad model to a truly platform agnostic experience for both users and advertisers. Part of this journey has been to enable us to capture and monetise on our digital inventory in all potential channels using all data available. As a result of a successful implementation of this strategy TV4 delivered its best financial result in terms of turnover and profitability in the history of the company in 2018.”

Swedish broadcaster TV4 has long been a leader in the broadcast space, from going digital in the noughties and its early adoption of server-side ad insertion (SSAI) technology, to forming key partnerships with broadcasters and operators to grow its audience and boost ad revenue.

TV4’s innovative approach is paying off, too. In the press release that announced the renewal of its contract with Yospace, the company’s COO Mathias Berg revealed that the company achieved its highest ever revenue in 2018. He credited the ability to provide a platform-agnostic experience for advertisers across all video as a key factor, an experience that is enabled by SSAI.

TV4’s record earnings, at SEK 1,382 million (€112,537,903), were up 35.2% on 2017, making it one of the most successful broadcasters on the continent.

How did the broadcaster achieve these heights? And how did it use SSAI to carve out its route to a profitable future – for TV4, for advertisers, and for its audience?

Digital ad stitching

TV4’s forward-thinking approach was apparent when it became the first broadcaster in Sweden to implement SSAI, notably adopting the technology for both live and on demand content to deliver a consistent TV quality viewing experience, with one to one addressability and ad measurement.

SSAI has allowed TV4 to unlock new revenue opportunities by allowing for consistent monetisation of all its content across all connected devices, and for viewer data to be harnessed to inform and deliver addressable advertising. This is a sector which shows no signs of slowing, with addressable TV ad spend forecast to exceed $3 billion by the close of this year.

Reinvention and investment

TV4’s CEO Casten Almqvist recognised back in 2012 that in order to outstrip the competition in Sweden’s TV market, the network must “continue to reinvent” itself, investing in its digital service TV4Play, while continuing to focus on “breadth, diversity and quality” and producing “engaging TV for the whole country”.

This prompted TV4 to turn to SSAI soon after, which in turn paved the way for another innovative move last year. A first in Sweden, TV4 collaborated with Telia, Discovery Networks and Modern Times Group (MTG) in March 2018 to launch a targeted advertising initiative on Telia’s Play service. This delivers tailored advertising based on an individual’s location, the channel they’re watching, the kind of screen and the type of device they’re using to stream content.

Later the same year, TV4’s adoption of SSAI allowed it to secure distribution deals with other major distributors including Com Hem.

TV4 is clearly a pioneer, with a data-driven, viewer-first approach to growing its business and monetising content for the long-term, an approach that has been enabled by SSAI. In fact, TV4 has precisely pinpointed its adoption of SSAI for helping it achieve that aforementioned record 2018, with Mathias Berg, COO at TV4 Group commenting that, “as a result of a successful implementation of this strategy TV4 delivered its best financial result in terms of turnover and profitability in the history of the company.”

And with the broadcaster continuing to innovate, then long may this continue.

Sweden’s largest commercial broadcaster continues to lead the way in OTT monetisation

Staines-upon-Thames, UK, February 27th 2019 – TV4 has agreed an extension with Yospace to provide server-side ad insertion (SSAI) across its TV Everywhere service, TV4Play. TV4 was the first company to launch the technology in Sweden in 2014, initially using it to monetise VoD content before applying it to live channels, too.

The technology is a crucial cog in TV4’s forward-thinking data strategy as it allows advertising to be one-to-one addressable and opens the door to a mix of ad sales methods, including first and third-party sold and programmatic. This is achieved while maintaining a true TV-quality viewing experience, which helps TV4 to achieve its goal of removing the distinction between traditional linear TV and digital and present itself as platform agnostic to advertisers.

Yospace’s SSAI solution (also referred to as dynamic ad insertion) allows advertising to be stitched into live and VoD content watched via OTT in a way that is completely seamless to the viewer. Ads are prepared in advance to match the encoding profile of the source stream and are stitched before the video reaches the user’s device, thus removing the prospect of buffering and inconsistencies of older technologies as programming switches to and from an ad break.

Each viewer session is handled individually, meaning that an ad call is made on behalf of each viewer. This helps TV4 future-proof its advertising: the broadcaster is free to continue developing its data strategy knowing it already has the necessary ad-tech in place.

Mathias Berg, COO at TV4 Group: “For the last couple of years TV4 has relentlessly been driving our business from a traditional linear ad model to a truly platform agnostic experience for both users and advertisers. Part of this journey has been to enable us to capture and monetise on our digital inventory in all potential channels using all data available. Having successfully launched both dynamic ad insertion with operators and log in on TV4Play, TV4 is now in a unique position to offer the combination of reach, inventory and data to Swedish advertisers. As a result of a successful implementation of this strategy TV4 delivered its best financial result in terms of turnover and profitability in the history of the company in 2018.”

Edward New, Commercial Director at Yospace: “TV4 was in the first wave of broadcasters to embrace server-side ad insertion and I’m delighted that our long-term relationship is continuing. The broadcaster has used the technology to re-define television and data-driven advertising for a modern audience. TV4 was also among the first to recognise the advantages of a joined up live and VoD SSAI strategy.”

TV4Play for web can be accessed at https://www.tv4play.seand the app is available on all the major connected devices.

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About Yospace

Yospace is the foremost provider of server-side ad insertion (SSAI) technology in the world today. Its solution allows live streams and on demand (VoD) content to be monetised for OTT in a way that is true to the seamless viewer experience of linear television, while opening up benefits of digital advertising such as one-to-one addressability and real-time measurement.

Yospace was the first to publicly demonstrate SSAI in a live stream, with ITV in 2012, and today services major broadcasters and network operators across the globe, including AT&T in the USA; Sky Media, ITV, BT Sport, Channel 4 and STV in the UK; Telia and TV4 in Sweden; SonyLIV in India (in partnership with Akamai Technologies); Seven West Media and Network Ten in Australia.

Yospace and Seven extend their innovative partnership into a long-term agreement for enabling Dynamic Ad Insertion into live OTT channels at scale.

Yospace’s platform, the world’s foremost server-side DAI technology, allows Seven, the leading commercial broadcaster in Australia, to open up online ad breaks in live OTT streams in a way that is as seamless to the viewer as on broadcast television, with true one-to-one addressability at scale.

The system was used by Seven for the 2017 Australian Open (part of the Summer of 7Tennis season), during which ad breaks were editorially triggered. There has since been a full integration between Yospace’s platform and the Imagine D Series automation system that drives the broadcaster’s linear TV channels, meaning that DAI can be applied 24/7.

This latest iteration of DAI was launched last year for the Rugby League World Cup in October, for which online streaming and resulting advertising opportunities were much higher than expected. In further evidence of the proliferation of live streaming audiences, total minutes viewed during this year’s Australian Open, for which DAI was applied across sixteen simultaneous online channels, were double Seven’s expectations.

According to OzTAM, Australia’s official source of television audience measurement, 7Tennis occupied all top ten Video Player Measurement positions during the tournament. Similar ratings are expected as Seven looks ahead to major sporting events that includes this month’s Winter Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games, which are to be held on Australia’s Gold Coast in April.

Clive Dickens, Chief Digital Officer at Seven West Media, said: “We’re seeing emotionally-invested viewers with a high propensity to stream. Average user sessions on web during the Australian Open were over 30mins.”

The automation integration also allows Yospace to automatically create VOD assets, making them available to Seven’s viewers for catch-up within minutes of a live programme’s end. Ad markers in the VOD assets are retained from the live stream, allowing new advertising to be delivered whenever the catch-up content is viewed.

David Springall, Chief Technical Officer and Founder at Yospace, said: “Working together with Seven on major events such as the Australian Open and Rugby League World Cup has allowed us to set new standards for addressable advertising over OTT. We’re delighted to be extending our partnership and enabling dynamic ad insertion across their channels 24/7.”

Yospace and Seven are presenting together at the Future TV Advertising Forum in Sydney on 22nd February. Find out more here.

NexStreaming has announced today that its flagship product, NexPlayer SDK is now pre-integrated to support Yospace’s Dynamic Ad Insertion platform. From now on, video service providers and broadcasters will be able to monetize their video apps and ensure their viewers enjoy the best user experience and even easier implementation, thanks to this pre-integration of the two products.

Yospace’s server-side Dynamic Ad Insertion technology allows broadcasters to replace ads in linear streams when viewed online, in a way that reflects the seamlessness of broadcast television. Replacement ads can be targeted to ensure relevancy to each viewer, which brings great benefits to advertisers and end-customers alike, who reap the rewards of an improved video experience.

NexPlayer SDK is the leading multiscreen player for mobile apps and it is integrated by premium video service providers from all around the globe. Its streaming capabilities provide the best video quality across all mobile devices with an advanced features set that includes closed-captioning, time shifting, multiple audio tracks or the possibility to launch media content into large screens with Chromecast, integrated into the player itself.

Carlos Lucas, General Manager of NexPlayer SDK said: “It is great to combine our technologies with a market proven Dynamic Ad Insertion solution like Yospace’s. Together, we aim to deliver the most advanced streaming and ad insertion capabilities that will benefit video service providers, advertisers and end-customers alike”

David Springall, CTO of Yospace, added: “Many of our customers have chosen NexPlayer for its high performance and because it is on the forefront of streaming technology. Our service, which unlocks incredible revenue opportunities in live sports and VOD streaming alike, is further enhanced by client-side functionality such as clickable ads and beaconing. This announcement means that customers choosing NexStreaming will benefit from the simplicity of integration of our pre-integrated technologies into their mobile applications.”

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About NexStreaming
NexStreaming is a global mobile software company with headquarters in Seoul (Korea) and branches in Spain, the US, Taiwan and China. NexStreaming is known for its excellent customer support and highly competitive time to market. The flagship product is NexPlayer SDK, an HLS player SDK integrated in the mobile apps of more than 200 premium video service providers around the globe. NexPlayer SDK secures the best user experience in all Android and iOS devices.
NexStreaming is a publicly traded company listed on the Korean stock market, KOSDAQ 139670. For more information, visit nexstreaming.com

About Yospace
Yospace is at the forefront of innovation in broadcast stream manipulation and management (live and Video On Demand). Its Dynamic ad insertion technology provides a link between playout systems and ad platforms, enabling server-side, frame-accurate ad insertion/replacement. Through the management of each individual user session, advertising can be tailored to the tastes of the individual viewer.

Yospace services major broadcasters and network operators throughout the world, including DirecTV and Canal 13 in the Americas, Sky Media, ITV, Channel 4, BT Sport, STV and UTV in the UK, BFMTV, Medialaan, TV4, TV3 and TG4 in mainland Europe, and Seven West Media, Channel 9 and Network Ten in Asia-Pacific.

New digital platform All 4 introduces personalised ad insertion in the live stream to boost revenues and customer engagement

Channel 4 has selected a solution by Yospace, the leading name in dynamic advertisement replacement, to introduce personally targeted video ads across all of its online content.

Earlier this month, the broadcaster announced that it was moving away from traditional linear ad feeds across its digital properties in favour of dynamically served, targeted ads. Channel 4 will replace its pre-scheduled blocks of inventory, with tailored and targeted live video advertising, which will be available to buy programmatically by the end of the year.

The solution from Yospace provides unique in-stream ad replacement with seamless transitions to and from the advertising. Insertions are performed server-side, so the viewer will see an uninterrupted stream, while being presented with ads that are customised according to their unique user profile. By ensuring seamless and transparent splicing, the consumer perceives a broadcast quality service, but with advertising of such relevance that they stay with the stream.

The recent agreement with Yospace is part of the second phase of the All 4 launch – the broadcaster’s new online destination that presents all of Channel 4’s linear channels, digital content and services in one place, for the first time. All 4, the offering’s new brand identity for its digital platform, initially introduced ad insertion for VOD, and will now use the Yospace solution to launch personalised ad insertion into the live stream.

Jonathan Lewis, Head of Digital Innovation and Partnerships, said: “For Channel 4’s registered viewers, the All 4 experience is becoming even more personalised. We have leading audience insight capabilities and a database of more than 12 million viewers who can access a bespoke set of content and related experiences. This ethos is increasingly carried throughout our advertising, and the Yospace solution will enable us to deliver personalised ads to both individuals and specific groups seamlessly into the live stream.

“Our programmatic launch has also opened up a host of opportunities around what we do with our live feed generally – and we’re currently exploring what place dynamic ad serving could have on the big screen.”

Channel 4’s online revenues have tripled in the last five years and continue to show strong growth driven by product and data innovation. The latest figures from Yospace show that deployments of its technology has brought view-through rates for dynamic advertisement replacement up to 98.7% for broadcasters. With the ability to incorporate interactive functions in the online advertising, such as clickable overlays, engagement is driven even further.

Yospace CEO, Tim Sewell said: “Our technology is already driving substantial advertising views for a growing number of broadcasters, and is ideally suited to Channel 4’s requirements. We are delighted to be working with such an esteemed broadcaster who already leads the field in providing the most personalised viewer experience. Our solution will enable it to leverage its extensive user database to really maximise revenues through personalised and seamless live ad insertion.”

“A solution like this will only work if it’s reliable and stable enough to cope with major TV audiences, as potentially millions of viewers will tune in at the same time. Another fundamental requirement is flexibility. Timings of the ad breaks in live programming are often fluid, so ad replacements have to be applied on-the-fly, in real-time, and with scale.”

The Yospace solution is robust and proven in the most demanding live environments, and scales to meet the demand of very large concurrent audiences. Broadcasters and online content providers can use tailored, dynamic ad insertion to make digital services financially viable and build better audience relations.

Toronto, CANADA – September 12, 2014 – QuickPlay Media, the leading provider of cloud-based managed service solutions for the distribution of premium media to IP connected devices, today announced the launch of its dynamic ad insertion (DAI) capabilities for its live linear TV solution.

QuickPlay collaborated with Yospace, a content distribution innovator, to deliver a pre-integrated platform designed to splice ads into linear TV streams across iOS and Android tablets and smartphones. The solution bolsters QuickPlay’s current national advertising capabilities with an advanced ad solution that enables service providers to further monetize content with TV Everywhere offerings integrating data from leading advertising engines and partners, including DoubleClick and FreeWheel.

The solution, currently being deployed for one of North America’s leading IPTV providers, brings 1:1 advertising to linear broadcast across connected devices. Operators will now have the ability to customize ads and serve up user targeted ad insertion further supported by reporting and analytics. Subsequently, for content providers, DAI allows a better user experience by enabling the capabilities to deploy relevant ads to a mass audience base, and allows service providers to increase the value of their ad inventory.

“Having pioneered this market a decade ago, QuickPlay understands the need for service providers to continue to innovate and monetize TV Everywhere offerings. It is more important than ever that QuickPlay is able to support customers in further leveraging their PAY TV investments with dynamic ad insertion,” said Wayne Purboo, CEO of QuickPlay Media. “As TV Everywhere becomes core to multiscreen offerings, Dynamic Ad Insertion for live TV is the next step in enabling multiple systems operators to drive greater value, both in and out of subscribers’ homes.”

“We’re proud to be partnering with QuickPlay to drive forward the evolution of TV Everywhere. QuickPlay’s collaboration with Yospace for Dynamic Ad Insertion is a further validation of our market leading technology.” said Tim Sewell, CEO, Yospace.

The Yospace collaboration is part of QuickPlay’s industry leading effort to support new devices, networks and features with its end-to-end managed service capabilities. In addition to its existing VoD and Media Transformation services, QuickPlay now manages over 600 live channels and 30,000,000 consumptions per month through its global network operations center in San Diego. With the launch of LTE broadcast trials in September, it is well positioned to deliver continued innovative enhancements and features to customers via its managed services capabilities.

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About QuickPlay Media

QuickPlay Media is the leading provider of managed service solutions for the distribution of premium multiscreen video to IP-connected devices. Successfully used by the world’s largest communications and media companies, QuickPlay’s cloud-based OpenVideo platform provides the most scalable and secure way for companies to deliver engaging multiscreen video entertainment experiences. For more information, please follow QuickPlay Media on Twitter @quickplaymedia or visit us on the web at www.quickplaymedia.com.

QuickPlay Media, its marks, trademarks, and logos are the exclusive property of QuickPlay Media Incorporated and may only be reproduced with the express written authorization of QuickPlay.